Dear Which?,
I bought an electric underblanket from Dunelm in January 2022 and used it a handful of times before storing it away for the summer.
In October, the blanket caught fire, resulting in a scorched mattress.
I contacted the manufacturer and returned the blanket. It investigated and claimed that the cable appeared to have been held in a bent position, which it said had caused repeated stress and damage.
As the blanket was under warranty, it arranged to send a replacement model, but I want a refund as I believe a manufacturing fault caused the fire. The blanket contains a slot for the controls to be fed through, and I think that the weight of the controls hanging down caused the bend.
Can you offer any advice?
AnonymousPut to Rights
Tali Ramsey, Which? consumer rights expert, says:'If an item is faulty, not of satisfactory quality, not fit for purpose or not as described, you can complain to the retailer you bought it from and ask for a refund.
'However, as you purchased the item more than six months ago, the burden is on you to prove it was faulty at the time of purchase. This usually requires obtaining an expert report or providing evidence that there is a known issue with the product.
Thankfully, this situation was resolved to your satisfaction in the end. Which? contacted Dunelm on your behalf and it offered a full refund as a goodwill gesture.'
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source https://www.which.co.uk/news/article/my-electric-blanket-caught-fire-how-can-i-get-my-money-back-aXqDa5u28uu8